NUNAVUT - The MV Avataq's recent near-disaster in the waters off Salluit proves how badly the North needs safe harbours and anchorages, said Suzanne Paquin, president of Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping Ltd.

"There are no safe anchorages in the North, and so we are even more convinced today that safety has to be the top priority in the North and infrastructure development is the way to go," she said.

"We've been lobbying for it; we've been promoting it; we've been explaining it," she added.

The 113-metre cargo ship broke down in the Hudson Strait near Salluit, Nunavik on Sept. 25. High winds of more than 75 km/h threatened to run the ship aground.

The next day, Jean-Pierre Lehnert, officer in charge at Marine Communications and Traffic Services, told Nunavut News/North "It might have ended up in some kind of critical situation."

It didn't, but the bad weather and breakdown combination did cause shipments to fall drastically behind schedule, creating worry for those waiting on personal and commercial sealift orders in Iglulik, Hall Beach and Repulse Bay.

On Oct. 6, Paquin told Nunavut News/North the Avataq was resuming course that day and shipments were scheduled to be complete by the end of the week, barring another disaster. The Avataq will finish its course by tow from the Ocean Delta, which departed from the Quebec City harbour, she said.

Paquin added incidents like the Avataq one are rare.

"We've never done this before," she said referring to the tow shipment. "I've been doing this business for over 20 years and I've never had this happen to me and if it doesn't happen to me for another 20 years, I'll be really, really happy."

She said all NEAS vessels are properly maintained to avoid exactly the type of breakdown the Avataq suffered: "It just goes to show you ... mechanical breakdowns happen. Just like it does in a car, it also happens in a large engine, a ship."